Acerola (Malpighia punicifolia L., synonymous with Malpighia glabra L., or Malpighia emarginata DC.) is a tree whose fruit is called Barbados cherry or Antilles cherry because it closely resembles the cherry.
A small tree (or shrub) with persistent foliage of the Malpighiaceae family, acerola grows spontaneously in tropical regions of South America, in particular in Peru and in the Amazon forests of Brazil and Venezuela. It is also present in the Antilles, where it is called wild cherry.
Acerola fruit contains 20 to 30 times more vitamin C than orange. This makes it one of the fruits richest in vitamin C (1000 mg to 2000 mg/100 g), after Terminalia ferdinandiana fruit (50 times richer than orange) and that of camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) (30 to 40 times richer than orange). It is also rich in vitamin B6, vitamin B1 and vitamin A, and in flavonoids and minerals (iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium).
The trend towards the “natural” is well established in the food products, nutraceuticals and cosmetics markets. Naturalness is one of the keys of the success of commercial launches of products appearing on the market in recent years, all the more so in a context where the consumer now clearly perceives the risks associated with ingestion of synthetic compounds and where the laws governing the scope of the use of food additives have become more strict, as witnessed, for example, by the proposed changes to permitted additives listed in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The “clean label” nature of consumer goods is a decisive element in the purchasing act, and formulating products free of any substance unfamiliar to housewives is a great challenge that the above-mentioned industries seek to overcome.
Efforts to develop so-called “natural” products appear on every level, and concern both the design of final products and the ingredients sector. More particularly, formulation experts clearly express a need for the development of natural dyes, whether additives or ingredients. However, it is recognised today that natural alternatives to synthetic dyes are less stable in terms of the heat, light and pH changes to which food products are subjected. Concentrates of red beet, a vector of betanin pigments, are natural red dyes par excellence suited to applications where pH is close to neutral. However, their stability comes into question when they are subjected to heating steps. This stabilisation is possible by the use of chelators such as EDTA or antioxidants, but this solution does not meet current demand for natural and “clean label” substances.
There is a need, therefore, for “natural” compounds for stabilising natural pigments such as betanin.